William Ralph Boucher Hassell, best known as Bill Hassell, (born 6 June 1943) is an Australian former
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
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This is a li ...
politician who was
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
in
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
during the mid-1980s. He was a member of the
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Western Australian Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Western Australia, an Australian state. The Parliament sits in Parliament House in the Western Australian capital, Perth.
The Legisla ...
seat of
Cottesloe between 1977 and 1990.
Early life
After attending
Hale School
Hale School is an independent, Anglican day and boarding school for boys, located in Wembley Downs, a western suburb of Perth, Western Australia.
Named after the school founded by Bishop Mathew Blagden Hale in 1858, Hale School claims to b ...
, Hassell attended the
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...
(UWA), graduating in 1965 with a
Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
. He entered legal practice in 1966.
Political career
In 1977 Hassell was elected to the
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Western Australian Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Western Australia, an Australian state. The Parliament sits in Parliament House in the Western Australian capital, Perth.
The Legisla ...
seat of
Cottesloe, representing the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
.
He was
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
between 1984 and 1986 before being replaced by
Barry MacKinnon.
Hassell's subsequent political career saw him serve as deputy mayor on Nedlands Council and in this capacity in November 2019, he stated that “Although I loathe and detest
welcomes to the country, I sit through them patiently when we have these ceremonies.”
Seven months later in June 2020, Hassell tendered his resignation as deputy mayor, and from the council.
Political views
Hassell is a monarchist and was a convenor for the
Australians for Constitutional Monarchy
Australians for Constitutional Monarchy (ACM) is a group that aims to preserve Australia's current constitutional monarchy, with Charles III as King of Australia. The group states that it is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organisation whose rol ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hassell, Bill
1943 births
Living people
Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia
Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
Leaders of the Opposition in Western Australia
University of Western Australia alumni
20th-century Australian lawyers
People educated at Hale School
Politicians from Perth, Western Australia
Australian monarchists
Deputy mayors of places in Australia
Western Australian local councillors